Garage for use in car parks



Oct. 20., 1964 KYOSUKE MORI 3,153,488

GARAGE FOR USE IN CAR PARKS Filed Sept. 17,, 1962 3 Sheet-$81189c 1 LQ LE INVENTOR.

Oct. 20, 1964 KYOSUKE MORI' GARAGE FOR USE IN CAR PARKS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1962 If 7 m Oct. 20, 1964 osu MORI 3,153,488

GARAGE FOR USE IN- CAR PARKS Filed Sept. 17, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

BY W W United States Patent Ofitic 3,153,488 Patented Get. 20, 1964 3,153,488 GARAGE FQR USE IN (IAR PARKS Kyosuire Mori, 299 Honameho, Suginami-ku, Tokyo, Japan Filed Sept. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 224,4)41 1 Claim. (ill. zit-16.1)

The present invention relates to a garage, and more particularly to a rotary type garage for use in car parks.

With rapid increase of the number of cars, the problem of establishing more car parks became urgent but to solve this problem there are such difficulties as sites, expense of installation, management and the like.

In order to solve the above stated problems, it has been proposed a rotary wheel type garage apparatus resembling a rotary sight seeing car in pleasure gardens. But the capacity of such an garage is relatively limited since the cars are hung on the outer ring alone of the rotary garage. Moreover, it is impossible to drive in or out two or more cars at a time because the cars are mounted on the platforms of the rotary wheel through only one passage located near the lowermost portion of the outer ring. Further the construction of the garage of the type above referred to is not sufficiently rigid and stable because the distance between the platforms and the axis of the rotary garage is relatively large.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the prior rotary wheel type garages.

Further object of this invention is to provide an improved rotary wheel type garage with increased car ac commodating capacity as well as rigid and stable construction.

Still further object of this invention is to provide an improved rotary wheel type garage wherein it is possible to load and unload a plurality of cars on the garage at a time.

Briefly stated, the rotary type garage embodying this invention and suitable to be used in car parks can be carried out by providing a horizontal shaft supported by pedestals. At least a pair of spaced parallel rotary wheel members are mounted on said shaft, each of said wheel members comprising an outer ring, a plurality of radical arms extending from said shaft to said outer ring and an inner ring connected to said radial arms at an intermediate point thereof to divide sector shaped spaces defined by said outer ring and adjacent pairs of said radial arms. In accordance with this invention said inner and outer rings are interconnected by a plurality of pairs of short arms arranged in a V-shaped configuration with the legs of the V disposedin parallel with the adjacent radial arms. Between said pair of wheel members are pivotally supported a plurality of car accommodating boxes or platforms by means of pivots provided on the inner surface of corresponding pairs of radial 1 arms and short arms. A bridge or car turn table is pro vided between a road surface and the upper portion of said pedestals. These pedestals are supported on a subfloor so that the upper surface of said bridge or turn table is maintained at a level slightly below the horizontal diameter of the rotary Wheel members whereby a plurality of motor cars, for example, 6 cars can be loaded or unloaded at a time. Moreover this construction assures rigidity and stability of the rotary garage. When compared with a conventional water wheel type rotary garage wherein cars are suspended around the periphery of the wheel member, the capacity of the garage is greatly increased.

The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as to its organization together with further objects and advantages thereof,-

may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: i

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a garage embodying this invention installed at a car park, it being understood that, for the sake of simplicity, the upper portion of platforms and short arms have been eliminated from the figure;

FIG- 2 shows the longitudinal cross section of the garage shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2a is an enlarged perspective view of a platform or car accommodating box;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view showing the relation between a car accommodating box and a driving means associated therewith;

FIG. 4 is a schematic elevational view illustrating the relation between the rotary body and its driving means; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the garage.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of opposing pedestals 1 adapted to support the Whole assembly of the rotary garage are vertically secured on the ground or a sub-floor. The opposite ends of a shaft 2 of the rotary garage are journaled in bearing members 2' mounted on said pedestals (see FIG. 5). The rotary garage is fixedly mounted on the shaft 2 and comprises outer and inner rings 4 and 4/ interconnected by a plurality of equally spaced radial arms 3 extending from a substantially circular boss. In each of the sector shaped spaces a defined by two adjacent radial arms 3 and inner and outer rings (see FIG. 2), there are provided a pair of short arms 5 serving to interconnect the outer and inner rings, said short arms being arranged in a letter V configuration with each of its legs parallel with adjacent long arm 3.

The rotary garage comprisesa pair of spaced vertical wheel members mounted on said shaft 2 each including said outer and inner rings and long and short arms, the spacing between these wheels substantially corresponding to the, length of the platforms or car accommodating boxes to be described later. On the inner side of each of said arms 3 and 5 of said pair of opposing wheel members are projecting horizontal shafts 6 (see FIG. 2a) so as to oppose with each other. In FIG. 2, the position of installation of these short horizontal shafts are designated by Q. Thus, each of the long arms 3 is provided with three horizontal shafts, each of the short arms 5 with one horizontal shaft. It will be seen that one such shaft is also provided at the cross of short 'arms 5 or at the vertex of the V. Two opposing horizontal shafts disposed between said two wheel members are respectively received in bearings 9 mounted in the projection 3 at the central portion on both side of the upper surface of a car accommodating box 7, as best shown in FIG. 2a. Thus the car accommodating box is suspended from said arms free to swing by means of said horizontal shafts. Each of the car accommodating boxes or platforms 7 comprises a box like member with its front and rear sides opened and having a floor member made ofmetal. The road surface In and the upper portion of said pedestals are, connected or bridged by a stationary platform 11 with its fore end fixedly secured to the front side surface of the upper portion of said pedestals (see FIGS. 1 and 2). As shown in FIG. 2a suitable magnetic fixing devices 12 are provided at portions on the lateral edge of the stationary platform 11 at which portions said car accommodating boxes are sequentially brought. As best shown in FIG. 3, on the periphery of one of said outer ring 4 is mounted a large gear 13 composed of teeth secured to a suitable endless belt, for example. Near the base portion of the pedestals 1 is disposed a machine room 14 containing a prime mover, such as, an electric motor 15 energized by a suitable source of power, not shown. The electric motor 15 is arranged to drive said large gear 13 through a pinion 18 meshing therewith at its lower portion, a driving shaft 17 and a speed change mechanism 56, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A braking mechanism 21 including a brake 26 is associated with the lower portion of the outer ring 4 of the other Wheel member opposing said wheel member provided with said large gear 13. 22 designates a combined office, com manding and operating room containing suitable electric indicators for indicating the condition of the respective car accommodating boxes, i.e. whether they are occupied or empty, switch boards connected to said electric motor, and any other conventional commanding and operating devices. Numeral 23 designates cars. It will be understood that, if desired, a suitable conventional motor car turn table device may be substituted for the stationary platform between the road surface 18 and the pedestals 1. Furthermore, in lieu of providing a pair of parallel rotary wheel members as shown and described, two or more pairs of such rotary wheel members may be arranged in parallel. In such a case it is of course required to correspondingly increase the number of pedestals 1. used, to elongate the length of the shaft 2 which supports the Wheel members and to make other necessary alterations.

It is also required to provide said pivots or horizontal shafts 6 to hang the respective car accommodating boxes with such proper spacing that they will not come to contact with each other during rotation of said Wheel members.

The operation of the garage of the preferred embodiment is as follows: The operator will manipulate a suitable switch, not shown, in the commanding and operating room 22 to energize the prime mover 15 in the machine room 14 to drive at a low speed the rotary wheel members through gears 13 and 18 and the speed change mechanism 16. When car supporting platforms 7 supported along a horizontal diameter reaches at the level of the upper surface of the stationary platform 11, the operator will stop the rotation of the rotary garage by suitably operating said switch and the braking mechanism 21 (see FIGS. 1 and 4). At the same time the magnetic fixing device 12 (FIG. 2a) is energized to securely fix these platforms 7 to one side of the stationary platform 11 (or a turn table). Thus, several (six in the illustrated example) platforms or boxes 7 which are hung on the same diametrically extending arms 3 are secured to the movable platform in side by side parallel relation. to permit to load or unload six cars at a time. More particularly, several cars may be loaded on or unloaded off the car accommodating boxes as shown by arrows 24 and 25, FIG. 5. Loading and unloading of cars may be properly indicated by electric indicators mounted in the operating room 22 and the operator may then rotate the rotary garage by a predetermined angle until next row of the car accommodating boxes reaches at the level of the stationary platform 11 to load and unload cars. In this way it is possible to load cars on all of the boxes.

As has been pointed out in connection with FIG. 2a, each of the car accommodating boxes 7 is hung or pivoted on arms 3 or 5 by means of horizontal shafts or pivots-6 provided on the inner surface of said arms and received in bearings 9, at the center of the front and rear side edges of the upper surface of said box so that the center of gravity of said suspended car accommodating box is maintained directly beneath an axis common to both of said horizontal shafts 6, thus making it possible to always maintain horizontally the floor surface of said boxes while the rotary garage is rotated (or stopped) after loading and unloading of cars.

In a well known water wheel type rotary garage, car supporting platforms are hung only around the periphery of the wheel members so that number of such platforms are limited. Moreover since the distance between the center of wheel members and theground surface which supports the rotary garage is relatively large, the garage is not stable. Further with such prior garage it is possible to load or unload only one car at a time because only the lower most box that reaches the ground surface can accommodate the car. On the other hand as explained above, according to this invention it is possible to load or unload several cars at a time. Further the stability of the rotary garage is greatly increased because the distance between the horizontal diameter of the rotary garage and the upper surface of the stationary platform is relativeiy small. Moreover the frame work comprising inner and outer rings, and long and short arms greatly increases the mechanical strength and rigidity of the garage.

It will be clear that the garage of this invention can also be used to accommodate any kind and type of road vehicles. If desired one or more counter weights adjustable along the outer ring 4 may be provided to counter balance any unequal distribution of cars in the garage.

While the invention has been explained by describing particular embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A garage device comprising, a horizontal shaft, pedestals, having a flat upper surface along which cars can travel, adapted to rotatably support said shaft, at least a pair of parallel spaced vertical rotary wheel members mounted on said shaft, each of said wheel members including an outer ring, a plurality of radial arms extending between said shaft and said outer ring, an inner ring connected to said radial arms at an intermediate point thereof to divide sector shaped spaces defined by said outer ring and said adjacent pairs of said radial arms, and a plurality of pairs of short arms interconnecting said outer and inner ring, each pair of said short arms being arranged in a letter X configuration with the legs disposed in parallel with the adjacent radial arm, a plurality of car. supporting platforms each pivotally supported between said pair of wheel members by means 'of a pair of pivots secured to the inner surface of said radial .arms and .said short arms, power means to drive said rotary wheel members and bridge means between a road surface and the upper surface of said pedestals.

I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 892,215 Biavati June 30, 1908 1,867,675 McHenry et al July 19, 1932 2,069,886 Ioslin Feb. 9, 1937 2,738,885 Demaline Mar. 20, 1956 3,077,994 Foster Feb. 19, 1963 

